The multi-branch family dispute over late industrialist Sunay Kapur’s fortune now has its youngest and perhaps the most high-profile claimants — his children with hie ex-wife, actor Karisma Kapoor.
Karisma-Sunjay’s kids on ‘will’ by stepmom
Daughter Samaira, 20, and son Kiaan, 15, have moved the Delhi high court alleging that their stepmother — model Priya Sachdev Kapur, who was the third wife of Sunjay Kapur — appears to have forged their father’s will for control over his assets, part of a ₹30,000-crore fortune.
Represented by their mother Karisma Kapoor as legal guardian, they have attached a list of known properties but accused Priya of concealing details. They want at least a fifth of the estate as legal heirs.
Besides them, Sunjay’s mother Rani Kapur has made similar claims, seeking share in automobile component maker Sona Comstar, which is the core of the $3.6-billion empire built largely by Sunjay’s late father. The company is among India’s top players in the sector, and has a global presence with at least 10 plants, across India, China, Mexico and the US.
Sunjay’s sisters, too, have questioned Priya’s claims.
What law says on inheritance
Under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, if there’s no will, his property devolves upon those listed as Class I heirs in equal shares. “These Class I heirs include the widow, all sons and daughters (whether biological or lawfully adopted), and the mother, together with certain heirs of any predeceased children,” Tushar Kumar, a Supreme Court advocate, told India Today.
Sunjay died at 53 after he suffered a heart attack while playing polo in Surrey, UK, in June. Part of the elite social circles in India and many countries abroad, he was married thrice, first to designer Nandita Mahtani, then to Bollywood star Karisma Kapoor, and finally to Priya Sachdev, a model and entrepreneur in 2017.
Mother Rani Kapur’s claim
Over a month after his death, Sunjay Kapur’s mother Rani Kapur, a former chairperson of Sona Comstar, wrote to the company board against appointments made after his sudden passing.
While her allegations of “highly suspicious circumstances” of the death did not get credence — the coroner’s office in Surrey said Sunjay died of natural causes — she also said she was coerced into signing documents during her period of grief.
The company, though, stated that Rani has no shareholder status since 2019. It appointed Priya Sachdev Kapur as a non-executive director, too.
In her letter, Rani said that while the family was mourning Sunjay’s sudden death, “some people have chosen this as an opportune time to wrest control and usurp the family legacy”.
Case of two wills
Rani Kapur has claimed that a will dated June 30, 2015, makes her the sole beneficiary of her late husband Surinder Kapur’s estate, making her a majority shareholder of the Sona group. Priya did not comment on this. There’s another purported will that Priya claims to have, which she presented at a family meeting on July 30, 2025.
In the latest, the children of Sunjay and Karisma have alleged that their stepmother Priya conspired to withhold the will for more than seven weeks. They have accused Priya of initially denying the existence of any will and asserting that all of Sunjay Kapur’s assets were held under the RK Family Trust, which further owns shares in Sona Comstar.
However, they say she later presented a document dated March 21, 2025, which she described as a will. The children’s suit seeks response from Priya Kapur and her minor son, both of whom reside at the family’s farmhouse in Rajokri, and another defendant is Sunjay Kapur’s mother Rani, among others.
What children say in court submission
According to the children, they shared a close relationship with Sunjay, making frequent travels together, and had regular involvement in his business and personal milestones.
Their father repeatedly assured them of their financial security and future well-being, the kids have argued. They also underline that he had initiated business ventures in their names, acquired assets both personally and through corporate entities, and named them as beneficiaries of the family trust.
The two children had performed Sunjay’s final rites, with the son lighting the funeral pyre at Lodhi Cremation Ground in Delhi on June 19.
Tensions escalated soon after, as Priya Kapur allegedly began limiting their access to trust-related documents and financial assets.
They also allege they were summoned to corporate meetings of Sona Comstar and asked to sign legal paperwork without being provided full transparency regarding the trust deed or associated records, ANI reported.
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